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Frost Wraiths
History Founding The Abyss Gazers were a 21st founding chapter and, like all the others, was ill fated from the start. Among the Marines of the Abyss Gazers were those suffering from a mutation called the Affliction which caused the body temperature of the Marines to lower dramatically and cause a cryogenic liquid to pool in their lungs, allowing them to freeze enemies with a breath but leaving them vulnerable to thermal weaponry. unknown to the majority of the Chapter the Afflicted were also vulnerable to the temptations of the warp and 1 by 1 they fell into the service of the mysterious Heims, a cold entity born of the dread all beings share of the winter. In 601.M37 the afflicted attempted to seize control of the Abyss Gazers fleet but were foiled by the heroic sacrifice of the Chapter Master. Those who survived fled with what Ships they had taken into the Eye of Terror under the command of former 8th Captain Erikhas. Eventually the now traitor Frost Wraiths managed to secure a Homeworld by attacking a small Craftworld, Alinstar, with the full might of their patron behind them, killing the Eldar by turning the once vibrant interior of the Craftworld into a frozen waste. Renegades As renegades from the Imperium the Frost Wraiths were forced to both steal and sell out their services to survive. With Heims as their patron, many were able to sell out their services to Chaos warbands, earning them a reputation as excellent shock troops. Those that sold their services to Chaos were primarily those that worshiped Heims as a god, led by the mad chaplain Markus. Those who retained loyalty to the Emperor and their gene-father Rogal Dorn, (if not the Imperium itself) followed Erikhas in his quest to both claim trophies and gain enough power to challenge Perterabo. Of all the Frost Wraiths, only Erikhas and Markus show any signs of supernatural longevity. Some claimed it was a sign of Heims favor, if so however, it was never given to any others. As millennia passed the Frost Wraiths would receive requests from both Chaos and the Imperium. Chaos, to fully forsake the Imperium and the God Emperor. The Imperium, to present themselves to Imperial justice and face either death or harsh penance. Without fail these requests went unanswered, sometimes simply because they never received them due to the fickle nature of the warp and the unreliability of communications, but primarily because Erikhas refuted both and none dared challenge his ruling. In Erikhas' eyes, neither side was deserving of his loyalty believing the High Lords to be using the Emperor's name to pursue their own selfish desires, and retaining his own hatred for the Ruinous Powers. This would become a source of no small contention within the Frost Wraiths, but for many long centuries none dared openly challenge him. The Frostfire Forges A few decades after the schism of the chapter, a similar event would occur on the Forge World Hook-Prime between the majority who followed the traditional ideology and those who believed experimentation and rediscovery were man's only hope to progress. As the fight dragged on the traditionalists called upon other Imperial Forces to aid them but another force arrived first. A Strike Cruiser belonging to the Frost Wraiths emerged in orbit and a multitude of smaller craft descended to the surface. Due to the isolation of the Abyss Gazers and the slow travel of news in the Imperium, the renegades were initially thought to be a regular Astartes force. However it quickly proved otherwise when they began aiding the radicals. In the heart of the battle, the Frost Wraith force commander made an offer to the leader of the radicals; join with the Frost Wraiths and flee or die to the enemy. taking the offer, the radicals seized a number of void craft and fled with the retreating Frost Wraiths. While many ships were brought down, a sizable portion escaped. Back in Alinstar the rescued radicals learned about their rescuers and were made a new offer from Erikhas. They would be allowed to set up a forge and experiment as they wished with the Frost Wraiths supplying new materials. In return they would make new war gear for the Frost Wraiths and help train new Tech Marines. They accepted and proceeded to carve out their forges and workshops in the frozen remains of the Craftworld. It is said that the only warmth to be found in Alinstar now is the heat of their forges. For the most part they still follow the Tenants and beliefs of the Cult Mechanicus but no longer follow the bans on experiments and xenos technology, leading to the Frost Wraiths occasionally having unique, but unreliable, equipment. Second Schism At the close of the 41st millennium Roboute Gulliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines would be released from stasis and saved from death by a combination of the Eldar and Imperial forces. Soon after, in the dawning years of the 42nd millennium the Primarch would return to Terra to take control of the Imperium and reform it. No small task as the fall of Cadia, happening around the same time would cause the Eye of Terror to expand across the galaxy to form the Great Rift News of the Primarch's return and the fall of Cadia sent the Frost Wraith's into a fierce internal conflict. Those who remained loyal to the Emperor declared that Gulliman surely could be trusted to enact the Emperor's will, and that his return was proof that Rogal Dorn might return as well. Those who worshiped Heims and sold out their services to Chaos Warbands argued that the Fall of Cadia was proof that the Imperium was doomed, and their only hope of survival was to align with Chaos. At the height of the argument Erikhas came out in favor of the Loyalist factions, saying that their first and only loyalty should be to the Emperor, no matter the cost. That was the tipping point. Withheld resentment and ideals of centuries burst to the surface and the Frost Wraiths descended into in-fighting between forces led by Erikhas and Markus. As brother fought against brother, the forces of the Mechanicus that had sworn service to the Frost Wraiths in exchange for protection were drawn in as well, similarly split. The frozen remains of the Craftworld, not having seen this kind of activity in millennia and suffering from years of drifting in and out of the warp began to crack. Erikhas, seeing this realized that it was also a sign of something more. Heims, not wishing for the loss of his champions and their return to the Emperor, was beginning to directly intervene. Even as Erikhas could feel the power granted to him by Heims leave him, the frozen daemons within Erikhas' trophy room began to wither as Heims drained them of their power to try and drag the Craftworld into the Warp to give aid personally to Markus' forces. Seeing no choice but to flee, Erikhas ordered his forces to take what they could and retreat to their fleet before Heims grew strong enough to stop them. Markus, being filled with the power once given to Erikhas was too elated at receiving Heims favor to realize their intentions in time to stop them. Even as what ships they could claim slipped away, those looking back at the dead craftworld could see it crack as a tremendous icy hand dragged it into a warp rift in the direction of the Great Rift. Without homeworld or allies, Erikhas has set his remaining forces on a penitent crusade, aiding Imperial Forces across the Galaxy, helping to protect those worlds that have lost contact with the Imperium. While doing this Erikhas has sent multiple messages to Roboute Gulliman, informing the Primarch of their intentions and actions and requesting was proof Gulliman requires of their loyalty, or what pennence they should serve. Those forces that remained on Alistar, being led by Markus have turned fully towards siding with Chaos and endeavor to do their best to spread the worship of Heims. Since their split they have forsaken the name of Frost Wraiths and have since claimed the title of 'Scions of Heims' Battles Capture of Alinstar 602.M37- With the guidance of Heims, Captain Erikhas, leader of the newly formed Warband Frost Wraiths, led his Forces against the Craftworld Alinstar. By launching a surprise attack, hidden by Heims' power even from the Farseers, the Frost Wraiths were able to breach a section of the Craftworld and successfully deploy their Marines there. Still, even the might of the traitor marines would have availed little against the full might of the Craftworld had Heims not aided them in battle. Manifesting by possessing Markus, the only Chaplain among the Frost Wraiths, Heims was able unleash his full might from within the Craftworld, freezing the entirety of the Craftworld and killing most of the Eldar within. The Frost Wraiths, led by Erikhas were then able destroy what remained of the defenders, taking the last Farseer as a trophy by freezing him in Warp infused ice, the first of many such Trophies. War for Helstrom 2 201.M38 '- The first conflict the Frost Wraiths had with Imperial forces. On the second planet of the Helstrom system a warband of Slannesh attacked Imperial colonies across the planet in order to get slaves and loot the planets rich ore deposits. Unwilling to lose the valuable resources to Chaos no fewer than 28 Imperial guard regiments were sent to the planet's aid. In the midst of the war, the Slanneshi warband received reinforcements in the form of a company of Frost Wraiths serving as mercenaries under Markus. Before long the war tipped in the favor of the Chaos and renegade forces and only the intervention of the Eldar was able to tip the war in the Imperium's favor. After the war was clearly lost the Frost Wraiths vanished as quickly as they came. Of their forces only a single space marine corpse was recovered to tell the Inquisition who they were. It was also noticed after the war was over that the bodies of most of the Imperial Guard's sanctioned psykers who went missing were never found. Notable Characters Erikhas the Winter Smith Erikhas is the leader of the Frost Wraiths and he inspires dread in all who know his name, even Greater Daemons of the Ruinous Powers fear him. A mighty Champion, he strikes down his foes with his Ancient Power Sword and Storm Bolter with such incredible skill and brutality that he as been known to challenge entire Space Marine squads single handed. Under his command the Frost Wraiths have destroyed Ork WAAAGHs, captured an Eldar Craftworld, and even forced the Primarch Angron to retreat (the last was only possible due to Erikhas's support from nearly 50 of the Marines under his command). It is said that, like a Certain Necron Lord, Erikhas likes to take his mightiest foes as Trophies by freezing them in Warp-infused ice. His collection is said to have an Eldar Farseer, Ork Warbosses, a Tyranid Hive Tyrant, A Greater Daamon of Khorne and even one of the Grey Knights. After the Second schism he has lost the powers given to him by Heims, though he retains his tremendous size and has begun to age once again. Markus Once-King Markus, the only Chaplin among the Frost Wraiths, was a host of their Patron Heims when they took the Craftworld Alinstar. Even Erikhas was surprised when Markus Stirred after Heims left his body. Now the second in command of the Warband Markus is renowned across the warp for 2 things. His incredible durability of both body and soul, (he has been fired upon by a full devastator squad while unarmed and survived killing 2 marines while escaping), and his almost insane obsession. After hosting Heims he now feels weak and frail and will go to almost any length to feel that power once more. Only Erikhas' Iron will and great power can exert any degree of control over him. Into battle Markus goes clad in mighty Centurion armor, captured from a Ultramarine's successor armed with Siege drills with a frostborn flamer (which freeze instead of burn making tanks and walls fragile) on each. Unlike his master, Markus is a fanatic worshiper of Heims and he and his followers work more often with chaos forces than Erikhas and those loyal primarily to him. Since the Second Schism Markus has only become more deranged, seeing himself as a prophet of Heims. Upon being dragged into the Great Rift, Markus swore himself body and soul to Heims and fully become his avatar. A dreadful combination of warp entity and Astartes. Cult and Culture The Frost Wraiths, even branded renegades, are still successors of the Imperial Fists and generally maintain a rather stoic attitude, though they are noticeably more cheerful. They like to maintain a guise that they are still loyal to the Emperor and prefer to fight Xenos and Heims biggest rival, Tzeench. However, they have no hesitation to kill the forces of the Emperor when it suits their goal. Since their Schism, the Frost Wraiths have fully come out in support of the Imperium and forsaken the worship of Heims. Favored Tactics Like their cousins of the Abyss Gazers, they are master of the slow advance. However lacking the Vehicles of the Abyss Gazers, they use sight obscuring tactics such as smoke grenades or even summons blizzards from the warp. In close quarters they prefer to use their cryogenic breath to disable or kill their enemies, though it is less effective against heavily armored foes. With little vehicles, the Frost Wraiths make up for it by fortifying themselves by seeking ever to obtain more and more durable armor. The Frost Wraiths are infamous for stealing to looting Terminator Armor or Centurion exosuits, and the chapters Techmarines and artificers continually work to convert power armor to artificer armor. What vehicles they do have are almost always used to transport the heavily armored warriors. Recruitment While tough the Marines of the Frost Wraiths are by no means immortal. To replenish their numbers they are forced to kidnap from the Planets controlled by the Imperium. Preferring Icy Deathworld as recruiting grounds, they are rumored to have even kidnapped potential Aspirants from Fenris itself. Wargear The Frost Wraiths favor heavy armor above all else. Perhaps to make up for their lack of vehicles, the Renegade chapter does everything it can to obtain more forms of heavier-than-standard forms of power armor. From dealing with Hereteks, to stripping other chapters dead, to even attacking a Loyalist chapter, there is little they will not do to obtain more sets of Terminator or Centurion armor. While the Frostfire Forges aren't capable of producing these enormous sets of armor on their own, they are capable of piecing them together from damaged suits and parts. Hailstorm Centurion armor Centurion exoskeleton modified to provide maximum fire power at the cost of armor piercing capabilities. Armed with a Assault cannon on either arm, with a chest mounted hurricane bolter as well as a twin-linked hellgun roughly mounted on each shoulder and designed to fire where the assault cannons fire. While such modification would be unthinkable to much of the Mechanicus, it does allow for a squad of Hailstorm Centurions to put down an almost unbelievable amount of firepower. While lacking against heavier armor, there are few things as effective against hordes of light infantry or light vehicles at range. Cold Fusion Guns Converted plasma weaponry and the crown jewel of the Frostfire Forges. While they fist attempted to solve the problem of plasma overheating by studying Eldar weaponry, their wraithbone construction proved impossible to replicate. By the 41st millennium however other xenos, most notably the Tau, provided other examples of more stable plasma weaponry. The culminating product was the Cold Fusion plasma weaponry that resulted as a combination of Imperial and Tau technology. What few samples that have made their way into Imperial hands are considered Techno-heresy of the highest degree by the Mechanicus. Organization Before the Second Schism, the Frost Wraiths numbered nearly 400 hundred. Now only about 250 Marines remain in the Frost Wraiths. United as a single host, the Frost Wraiths do not split into smaller groups, fighting as a small, but unstoppable force on the battlefield with a core of Terminators and Centurions, reinforced by Marines in more ordinary power armor. Fleet Already small when they split from the Abyss Gazers, the Frost Wraiths fleet grew briefly when they sided with a radical Mechanicus faction only to shrink again when the Frost Wraiths split from the Scions of Heims. Currently it contains: * '''Hope of Redemption (Dominator class cruiser)- ' Found by the Frost Wraiths. It had been lost in a battle decades before when a horrific hull breach caused massive decompression and killed the crew. Repaired at least to a degree of functionality and now serves as a mobile Fortress monastery for the Frost Wraiths. * 'Bitterness of the Forsaken (Strike Cruiser)- '''One of the Strike cruisers taken from the Abyss Gazers when the Frost Wraiths split from them. Used for storing a deploying Terminators. * '''Well of Ice (Strike Cruiser) - '''One of the Strike cruisers taken from the Abyss Gazers when the Frost Wraiths split from them. Used for storing and deploying vehicles and Centurions. * '(Vagabond Class Merchant Trader) -''' Captured by the Frost Wraiths and now used to as a supply of Chapter Serfs. Heims What Heims is truly is unknown, even to the Chaos Gods, (with the possible exception of Tzeench). As the Warp is a constantly shifting sea of emotion it is not uncommon for entities to emerge from the roiling energy, though many do not survive very long. What exactly feeds the mysterious Heims is just as unknown as the being itself, though from the words of the now insane Chaplain Markus Once-King, the emotion is nameless and only manifests is the minutes leading up to death. Whether or not this is true Heims does seem to feed on death, Within the Craftworld Alinstar, or the battlefields where the Frost Wraiths invoke his presence he feeds on the souls of those who die. Only powerful beings such as Daemon Princes and Living Saints seem to be able to counter-act this. Most recently he has shown that he can feed on those frozen in his ice and by draining a greater daemon of Khorne Heims has grown powerful enough to pull as small craftworld into the Great Rift once in the warp. In order to manifest himself more fully in the materium, Heims has turned Markus into his avatar, giving him power akin to a Daemon Prince and Markus' fervent spread of worship has only increased his power. Alistar As a relatively small Renegade chapter, the Frost Wraiths have no homeworld. Instead they use a small Craftworld captured in the early days of the chapter. Much of the Craftworld is completely empty as the Frost Wraiths are too small to fill it. Despite having nowhere near enough numbers to fill it, the Frost Wraiths are still sons of Dorn. The entire Craftworld was remade into a virtually impenetrable fortress and serves as the mysterious Heims domain. What chambers were too far from the center were filled entirely with nearly indestructible ice. All the routes in and out that the Frost Wraiths use are heavily fortified and the very air is filled with an unnatural chill that even power armor does not stop. When a Chaos warband of the Iron Warriors legion attacked they found themselves cut off from their patrons once inside, and every death seemed to only fuel the warp entity. Now fully within the warp Alistar serves as the homeworld for the Scions of Heims and what forces they recruit. Hall of Trophys The former Hall of Seers has been remodeled by Erikhas to house the trophies he takes back from his conquests and raids. In it are contained dozens of mighty warriors frozen in ice, some so rare and magnificent, that Trayzn the Infinite once attacked the Frost Wraiths to try and secure them for his own collection. During the Second Scism the Hall was destroyed as Heims consumed its inhabitants. 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